(Photo : Screen grab BrainswayDeepTMS/YouTube) A patient diagnosed with depression is being treated with deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation at Greater Nashua Mental Health Center. Recently, a University of Milan professor found that the same process may help cure obesity.

Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (dTMS) helps overweight individuals reduce their usual cravings. For one thing, the procedure partly alters the composition of one type of intestinal bacteria called gut microbiota and modifies the way people think about food. The University of Milan led the study that revealed a way to lose weight without abusing the body with hard physical exercises.

The study will be presented at ENDO 2017 on Sunday, Science Daily reported. This event is actually the Endocrine Society's 99th annual meeting to be held in Orlando, Florida. Researchers flaunt that unlike deep brain stimulation, dTMS does not require any operation or implantation.

An electromagnetic coil is placed on the scalp to send magnetic pulses to the deep regions of the brain. Aside from helping obese people lose weight, dTMS is already an approved technique in the US to treat depression. Other countries also conduct tests to use dTMS as a cure for neuropsychiatric disorders like eliminating the urge to use drugs for addicts.

In the study, three men and 11 women aged 22 to 65 were recruited as samples. All of them have obesity with a body mass index of 30 to 45 kilograms per meter squared. Randomly, the experts assigned the samples to two groups: one team receives 15 sessions of dTMS while the other gets mock stimulation. It lasted for five weeks, specifically three times a week.

The researchers then measured the blood levels of glucose, insulin, pituitary gland hormones, and neurotransmitters like norepinephrine. Those who received dTMS lost more than three percent of their body weights and four percent of their fats compared to the control group. Lead investigator Dr. Livio Luzi, M.D. from the University of Milan said that one of the major causes of obesity is an impaired gut microbiota.

Meanwhile, according to the Independent, "mindful eating" is now being promoted as a solution to being obese. It effectively controls someone's "relationship" with food, thus providing a proper weight management. For example, when people focus on the sensory properties of their food - like taste, texture, and smell - they tend to reduce the amount of high-calorie snacks they eat later on for yet undetermined reasons. Well, probably, it is because the more people savor the heavenly taste of their food, the earlier they satisfy their cravings.